U.S. patent number 4,676,242 [Application Number 06/828,174] was granted by the patent office on 1987-06-30 for laser knife.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Asahi Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha. Invention is credited to Yuzuru Doi.
United States Patent |
4,676,242 |
Doi |
June 30, 1987 |
Laser knife
Abstract
A laser knife which supplies water to a rod member applying
laser radiation to tissue or the like by means of using the air
supply passing air between a fiber optic laser transmitting member
and a hollow tube. Air issuing from the tube may be bled to the
atmosphere through a bleed valve. Closure of the bleed valve
pressurizes an annular space in flow communication with the upper
portion of a fluid supply tank. Pressurization of the tank forces
fluid from the tank into an annular space within the device through
orifices in flow communication with grooves adjacent the rod
member. In such a manner, the pressurization of the air supply
system causes fluid to flow over the rod member to prevent
adherence of tissue and the like to the end of the rod transmitting
the laser radiation.
Inventors: |
Doi; Yuzuru (Tokyo,
JP) |
Assignee: |
Asahi Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki
Kaisha (Tokyo, JP)
|
Family
ID: |
12150240 |
Appl.
No.: |
06/828,174 |
Filed: |
February 11, 1986 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
|
|
|
|
|
Feb 12, 1985 [JP] |
|
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60-24870 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
606/16; 137/13;
137/156; 606/37 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61M
3/022 (20140204); A61M 3/0233 (20130101); A61M
3/0208 (20140204); A61B 18/22 (20130101); Y10T
137/0391 (20150401); Y10T 137/2937 (20150401); A61B
2018/00017 (20130101); A61B 2018/00011 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A61B
18/22 (20060101); A61B 18/20 (20060101); A61M
3/00 (20060101); A61M 3/02 (20060101); A61B
017/32 (); A61B 017/36 () |
Field of
Search: |
;128/303.1,362,395-398
;604/30,31,34,50,51,118,119 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Cohen; Lee S.
Assistant Examiner: Shay; David
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Finnegan, Henderson Farabow,
Garrett and Dunner
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A laser knife comprising:
fiber optic means for transmitting a laser beam;
a hollow tube surrounding said fiber optic means being separated
therefrom to form a space therebetween;
a rod member optically coupled at a first end to said fiber optic
means and disposed to emit said laser beam from a second end;
fluid supply means;
means for flowing said fluid along said rod member toward said
second end emitting said laser beam, said fluid flow means being in
flow communication with said fluid supply means; and
gas supply means in flow communication with said space disposed to
apply pressurized gas to said space, conduit means in flow
communication between said space and said fluid supply means for
applying gas pressure to said fluid to induce flow of said fluid
upon application of said gas pressure.
2. The laser knife of claim 1 including valve means in flow
communication with said space whereupon closure of said valve means
applies gas pressure to said fluid supply.
3. The laser knife of claim 2 wherein said valve means comprises a
conduit in flow communication with said space whereupon manual
closure of said conduit applies gas pressure to said fluid.
4. The laser knife of claim 2 wherein said knife includes a
generally cylindrical support member having a hole passing along
its central axis, said hole having an inside diameter greater than
the outside diameter of said hollow tube, said hollow tube being
disposed within said hole to form an annular gap between said tube
and said inside diameter, said annular gap being in flow
communication with said space.
5. The laser knife of claim 4 wherein said valve means comprise a
closable orifice in flow communication with said annular gap.
6. The laser knife of claim 4 wherein said support member includes
an orifice leading from said annular gap, said knife including gas
conduit means leading from said orifice to said fluid supply means.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a medical laser knife having a rod
member adapted to emit, a laser beam while in contact with tissue
making it possible to coagulate body fluids or cut the tissue. More
particularly, the invention relates to means for supplying water to
the end of the rod member to prevent adhesion of burnt materials
thereto.
Conventionally, there are practiced surgical treatments where a
laser beam is transmitted through fiber optics to a transparent rod
member and the rod member is brought into contact with tissue to
either coagulate the body fluids associated therewith or to cut the
tissue. In such surgical treatments, the laser beam is applied
directly to the tissue and the rod member may be held directly on
the tissue whereupon coagulated body fluids or the diseased tissue
may stick to the rod member. Inasmuch as this material must be
removed for effective operation of the device there are provided
conventional means of applying a jet of distilled water to the rod
member during its use.
Generally, laser knives are provided with a gas supply system for
passing a gas stream over the end of the fiber conducting the laser
beam. In order to provide a separate water supply system to apply
water to the end of the rod member, it has been necessary to modify
a part of the gas supply system and to provide a separate water
supplying system that includes a pump. Such a separate water supply
system with its attendant pump is a disadvantage in such devices
because it is an entirely separate subsystem that must be
manufactured and supplied with the device. It has been the practice
to pass water within the clearance between the fiber optics
transmitting the laser beam and a hollow tube surrounding the fiber
optics. Such a configuration has, however, serious drawbacks in
that when water is passed through the space between the fiber
optics and a surrounding hollow pipe, water drops remain within
that space after use of the device. This is undesirable where gas
or air is also to be jetted and adversely affects the sterilization
of the laser knife, both of which are serious drawbacks to
conventional devices.
It is an object of this invention to eliminate the above-described
shortcomings of conventional laser knives. More specifically, it is
an object of the invention to provide a laser knife which, in order
to supply water to the end of the rod member transmitting laser
beam instead of a separate water supply system, the air supplying
mechanism provided for an ordinary laser knife is utilized.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In order to accomplish these and other objects of the invention,
there is provided a laser knife which includes a fiber optic means
for transmitting a laser beam. A hollow tube surrounds the fiber
optic means and is separated therefrom to form a space
therebetween. A rod member is optically coupled to the fiber optic
means and is disposed to emit the laser beam from the end thereof.
A fluid supply means is provided along with means for flowing fluid
along the rod member toward the end emitting the laser beam. The
fluid flow means is in flow communication with the fluid supply
means. Gas supply means are in flow communication with the space
between the hollow tube and the fiber optic means and the gas
supply means applies pressurized gas within that space. Conduit
means in flow communication with this space and the fluid supply
means apply gas pressure to the fluid to induce flow of the fluid
upon application of the gas pressure.
Preferably, the laser knife includes valve means in flow
communication with the space between the hollow tube and the fiber
optic means where closure of the valve applies gas pressure to the
fluid supply.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 is an overall external view showing an embodiment of the
invention.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of
the embodiment of FIG. 1.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
An embodiment of this invention will be described by reference to
the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 shows the external appearance of one embodiment of this
invention. A conical rod member 3 is secured through a front end
cap 2 to one end of a cylindrical outer body 1. A hollow tube 4
projects through a rear end cap 5 which is affixed to the
cylindrical body 1. The hollow pipe 4 contains and protects a fiber
optic member 12 that is inserted within the hollow tube 4 in such a
manner that there is an annular clearance between the fiber optic
member 12 and the interior surface of the hollow tube 4. This
annular clearance or space 4a is used to supply air to the device.
In this embodiment, air is supplied from a conventional air supply
means (not shown) through the annular space depicted in FIG. 2 as
4a. The air applied through the hollow tube 4 to the annular space
4a jets from one end of the hollow tube 4. The hollow tube 4 is
located within a hole 10a in the support member 10 and is spaced
within the hole 10a to form an annular gap 10c. An air bleed valve
9 is in flow communication with the annular gap 10c (and the
previously noted space 4a) in such a position that the operator of
the laser knife can position a thumb over the bleed valve when
gripping the cylindrical body 1. Also in flow communication with
the annular space 10c is an orifice in flow communication with an
air supply nipple 11. The air supply nipple 11 is connected to an
air supply conduit 6 in flow communication with the fluid supply
tank 7. In such a manner, air pressure applied to the interior of
the hollow tube 4 if not bleed from the annular space 10c by the
bleed valve 9 is applied through the orifice into the air supply
nipple 11 through the air supply conduit 6 to the upper portion of
the fluid supply tank 7. As will be described in more detail with
respect to FIG. 2, the application of air pressure to the fluid
supply tank 7 causes the flow of fluid ultimately to the end of the
rod member 3.
A generally cylindrical support member 10 is arranged within the
cylindrical body 1. The support member 10 in the present embodiment
includes a threaded portion 10b which is larger in diameter than
the body of the remainder of the support member and engages
internal threads within the cylindrical body 1. The support member
10 has a central opening 10a formed along the central axis disposed
to receive the hollow tube 4. The end of the hollow tube 4
protrudes into the space 21 formed on one end of the support member
10 adjacent the rod member 3. The front end of the fiber optic
member protrudes into the space 21 adjacent the rod member 3 and is
separated from 1 to 3 mm from the end face of the rod member 3. The
rod member 3 is secured to the hole in cylinder 1 by means of the
front end cap 2 which is threadably engaged within the cylindrical
body 1.
The aforementioned rear end cap 5 compresses a circular truncated
cone-shaped rear seal 13 on a protrusion of the support member 10.
By means of the rear end cap 5 and the elastic seal 13 the hollow
tube 4 is affixed within the device such that there is a
predetermined clearance (the annular gap 10c) between the hollow
pipe 4 and the interior surface of the opening 10a. The support
member 10 includes at one end an opening disposed to receive an
annular protrusion formed on the end face of the front end cap 2.
Leakage of air from the interior of the device is prevented by a
front seal 14. The construction of the opening on the front end of
the member 10 disposed to receive the annular protrusion from the
front end cap 2 serves to align the axis of the rod member with the
optical axis of the fiber optic member 12 at that portion of the
device. Front cap end 2 further includes several grooves (two in
this embodiment) 2a having a predetermined length that extend along
the side surface of the rod member 3. The grooves are in flow
communication with orifices 2b which are formed obliquely in the
front end of cap 2. The orifices 2b are in flow communication with
an annular fluid space 18 formed between the cylindrical body 1 and
the support member 10. The annular fluid space 18 is in flow
communication with a water supply nipple 15 which is fixedly
secured to the cylindrical body 1. The fluid supply conduit 8
connects the fluid supply nipple 15 with the fluid outlet conduit
17 which is disposed within the fluid supply tank 7 such that its
inlet adjacent the bottom of the tank.
The fluid supply tank 7 is closed except for the air supply conduit
16 and the fluid supply outlet conduit 17. The lower end of the air
supply conduit is positioned above the level of the fluid in tank
7.
The laser knife of the present invention constructed as described
above operates in the following manner. Air supply means (not
shown) supply air through the annular space 4a between the fiber
optic member 12 and the hollow tube 4. The air thus supplied jets
from the end of the hollow tube 4 into the space 21 formed at the
end of the support member 10. Because air leakage is prevented by
the front seal 14 and the rear seal 13, the air thus jetted is
supplied through the annular gap 10c between the hollow tube 4 and
the interior opening 10a through the member 10 to the air bleed
valve 9 and the nipple 11. If the air bleed valve 9 is closed, the
air is forced from the nipple 11 through the air supply conduit 6
into the fluid supply tank 7. The air within the tank applies
pressure to the liquid fluid in the tank 7 and the fluid is caused
to flow through the fluid supply outlet conduit 17, the fluid
supply conduit 8 into the annular fluid space 18 between the
cylindrical body 1 and the support member 10. The fluid then passes
through orifices 2b into the grooves 2a and on to the rod member 3
to issue from the end of the rod member.
When the bleed valve 9 is open, as for example by a removal of the
thumb from the opening in the bleed valve, the air jetting from the
end of the hollow pipe tube 4 flows through the bleed valve and no
air pressure is applied to the fluid supply tank 7. This causes the
flow of water from the rod member 3 to stop.
As is apparent from the above description, the present invention
supplies liquid to the rod member by supplying pressure from the
air supply means rather than a totally separate fluid pumping
mechanism. In such a manner, water or fluid can be applied to the
rod member to prevent the adhesion of coagulated body fluids or
tissue. Furthermore, the flow of water to the rod member can be
readily controlled using the thumb of the hand that grips the
device. Furthermore, the laser knife, according to the present
invention, can be readily sterilized and manufactured at low
cost.
The present invention has been disclosed in terms of a preferred
embodiment, but the invention is not limited thereto. The scope of
the invention is defined by the appended claims and their
equivalents.
* * * * *